The BBC is
about to take the reality game
show format to a new low - by
asking the public to vote on
whether individual asylum
seekers should be thrown out
of the country.

The planned
programme, which has the
working title of You, the
Immigration Officer, is to be
part of a BBC "asylum
day" along similar lines
to previous crime and NHS days
of themed programmes.

The format
of the programme, to be made
by the BBC current affairs
department, has provoked an
angry reaction from some MPs
and refugee groups.

Emails sent
out by BBC staff to asylum
organisations seeking suitable
candidates to feature in the
programme say it will be
"an hour-long studio
show" and will examine
real case studies of people
seeking asylum.

The
programme makers want to
feature half a dozen cases
with actors playing asylum
seekers who have already had
their cases decided by the
Home Office.

"Expert
studio guests will debate the
merits of each case to judge
whether or not the person
should have been allowed to
stay.

"Having
heard the arguments, the
audience then vote by phone,
online, interactive
television, etc, and have
their say on what they think
should have happened. The real
outcome will then be revealed
to see whether the majority of
our viewers and studio guests
agreed with the immigration
officer."

Neil Gerrard,
Labour MP for Walthamstow and
chairman of the all-party
parliamentary group on
refugees, said: "This is
a really stupid idea. How is
an asylum seeker who has been
given refugee status supposed
to feel if the public votes to
throw him out?"

Mike Jempson
of the PressWise asylum
seekers, refugees and media
project, who was approached by
the BBC for help in providing
participants, said: "This
is a ludicrous and ill-thought
out idea."

The BBC
said: "We are in the very
early stages of planning, and
it has not yet been decided
what form any such programmes
might take."